Parking a crux in Putnam's proposal for new library

PUTNAM — Parking may be the issue on which a plan to build a new public library in Putnam hinges.

At a recent town meeting to discuss a land purchase for the project, parking seemed to be the biggest concern of many residents. Some said there was too much, while others were concerned there is too little.

“We believe the 75 spots we’ve planned for will be sufficient,” Library Director Priscilla Colwell said. “Because of the concerns, I’ve gone other larger libraries to find out about their parking.”

The town meeting has been adjourned to a referendum on Dec. 16, when residents will have a change to vote on the $300,000 land purchase from noon to 8 p.m. The proposal is to purchase 1.2 acres of land from B’nai Shalom Synagogue. The vote is only for the land purchase, not full approval of the project. That town meeting and referendum will likely occur in 2014.

The Library Exploratory Building Committee added additional parking spots to the library proposal before it was presented to the public. The new library would be 18,000 square feet.

Colwell said Killingly’s 19,650-square-foot library has 71 parking spots. Killingly’s population is almost double that of Putnam.

The town also has a grant that will help fund the $7.8 million project. On Nov. 25, the town was awarded a $1 million grant, the maximum possible, from the State Library Commission.

“I was very pleased that State Library officials liked the architect’s design and the site,” said George Tsanjoures, chairman of the exploratory committee.

The grant is tied to the design of the library, which would include a meeting room with a 120-person capacity and an additional meeting room that can hold up to 30 people. Those rooms would have a separate entrance and thus be usable after library hours.

The new facility would also have a local history room, a dedicated space for tutoring or other uses that require privacy, a computer lab, a dedicated space for teens and a second floor for children’s items and programs. And the facility would be handicapped-accessible, something the current library does not offer.

Colwell said if the land sale is not approved, the project must start over. The exploratory committee studied five different options for the library before bringing the current proposal forward. The other four options were deemed too costly, or unsuited to the town’s needs.